Analysis of joint stiffness of human posture in response to balance ability and limited sensory input during dynamic perturbation
by Aizreena Azaman; Shin-Ichiroh Yamamoto
International Journal of Experimental and Computational Biomechanics (IJECB), Vol. 3, No. 2, 2015

Abstract: Joint stiffness causes posture movement restriction. However, how joint stiffness responds towards imbalance still remain unclear. The objective was to observe the relationship between the joint stiffness value with balance ability and the efficient amount of stiffness required to maintain posture sway. Moreover, the effects of limited sensory inputs were also discovered. The joint motion at different external perturbations was recorded when different sensory inputs were applied. The results showed that the measurements of joint stiffness displayed imbalance; whereby, less-balanced individuals produced a high stiffness value correlating with the functional reach test (FRT) score. Furthermore, the stiffness value at the joints produced a significant difference with different sensory conditions and when various perturbation frequencies were applied (p < 0.05). The stiffness ratio between joints was also obtained. This study had successfully acquired the correlation between joint stiffness with balance ability, sensory inputs and joint synergy which crucial to maintain the posture balance.

Online publication date: Sun, 05-Jul-2015

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Experimental and Computational Biomechanics (IJECB):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

    Username:        Password:         

Forgotten your password?


Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com